BoatUS thanks boaters who joined GPS fight

BoatUS is thanking the 18,000 people who spoke out when a company's venture threatened to interfere with GPS signals.

LightSquared, backed by billions of dollars in funding, had plans to build a nationwide 4G broadband cellular telephone network, but tests showed the plan would interfere with GPS signals, BoatUS said in a press release.

BoatUS asked recreational boaters, anglers and the marine industry to voice opinions about the potential loss of the country's sole electronic navigation system nearly a year ago.

The private company recently announced that it filed for bankruptcy after the build-out of the network was halted by the Federal Communications Commission.

“We thank the 18,000 boaters and other GPS users who wrote the FCC asking the guardian of the nation's airwaves to ensure the future integrity of the GPS signal, and the FCC for listening and acting on our concerns," BoatUS president Margaret Podlich said in a statement.

LightSquared issued a statement saying that the company will keep working through the regulatory process and gain permission to build the 4G wireless network.

The company originally asked the FCC for permission to build 40,000 network ground stations across the country. Recent government reports concluded that interference issues with the GPS system could not be overcome.